It’s highly unusual for any German manufacturer to launch a new model without issuing page after page of technical specs. BMW has barely mentioned the updated ActiveHybrid 7 in its press information for the revised 7 Series. I suspect I know why.
The answer is one word: power. I cannot think of the last time BMW launched a car that loses such a large amount of power compared to its predecessor. In the case of the ActiveHybrid 7, the difference is a combined output of 349hp versus 455hp. So why has this happened? In short, the updated petrol-electric 7 has a new powertrain aimed at giving it fewer emissions and better fuel economy. The car has also become a full, or series hybrid.
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The original ActiveHybrid 7 was certainly powerful but like the now discontinued ActiveHybrid X6, it was a mild hybrid, meaning it had regenerative brakes but, unlike the Lexus LS 600h, it couldn’t run on its batteries alone at low speed. Now, thanks to a 315hp turbocharged 3.0-litre TwinPower inline six having replaced the former turbocharged 4.4-litre V8, the car will be promoted as a fuel saver rather than as a hotrod with two sources of propulsion.
Despite having lost over a hundred horsepower, the new ActiveHybrid 7 is claimed by its maker to be able to sprint to 100km/h in just 5.5 seconds – sounds to me like the model has lost some weight too. BMW of North America, which has published all of the information above, doesn’t quote any saving of mass so we’ll have to wait for BMW AG’s eventual statistics to hit the media website (the US importer has released a stash of info for its new 2013 ActiveHybrid 7 L but BMW’s global English language website has just a few sentences concerning the car).
Will anyone outside the US and Canada take much of an interest in this niche model? Perhaps. BMW will sell the model in Europe but hybrids of any sort remain a tiny niche in this region. That’s not surprising when the just-replaced 7 Series hybrid returned inferior fuel consumption and Co2 numbers to diesel versions.
With the mid-life update for the ActiveHybrid 7 bringing right-hand drive availability for the first time, rich buyers in places like the UK, Australia, India, Japan, Ireland, South Africa, NZ, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore might well be tempted by its novelty value.
However well the car sells in all those RHD countries, the success of the new approach to hybrids by BMW will be judged by how it does in the US. Will the switch from lots of electrically-stored extra power for overtaking to a new emphasis on silence and zero emissions in traffic convince the brand’s traditional buyers? If this car sells well, a plug-in ActiveHybrid 7 will surely follow too to take on the forthcoming Mercedes-Benz S 500 Plug-In Hybrid.
With an updated Lexus LS due to be revealed later on 30th July, the big luxury sedan segment, devoid of any excitement aside apart from the recent launch of the Audi S8, suddenly seems to be coming back to life. The perfect time then for BMW to make some noise about its new supercar-fast and EV-silent hybrid limo.
Author: Glenn Brooks
